The Televisual Commercials 30
Jon Creamer introduces Televisual's exclusive annual report, the Commercials 30, and finds that while budgets are down and production companies are under threat from agency in-house units, commercials producers are finding new horizons beyond ads too.

Commercials 30: Best in Show
Commercials producers also get to vote for their favourite directors, stand out ads and top rated agencies along with their favourite post houses, editors and vfx ops. We reveal the results

Commercials 30: The Top 30
Televisual reveals the Commercials 30 itself, the 30 top rated commercials production companies in the UK

Music in Motion
So what’s next for the music behind the commercials? Will it be another year in the ascendant for London Grime perhaps? Portugese house? Afro beats or the Angolan kuduro sound?

Televisual Factual Festival report
Last month saw Televisual's annual Factual Festival return to Bafta. How to stand out in a world of ever increasing viewer choice was the big theme this time. Tim Dams reports

Alison Kirkham in interview
At the Televisual Factual Festival, the BBC's controller of factual Alison Kirkham outlined the shows the corporation is looking for in the year ahead

Reports& surveys

Producers are spoilt for choice when it comes to selecting a post house to work with. The UK market teems with post production companies vying to work with them. Indeed, it’s an oversupplied market.

So one useful way of working out how to select the right post production company from such a huge pool of possible suppliers is to find out what other producers think of them.

Over the following pages, Televisual has rounded up extensive producer feedback from its annual surveys of TV, commercials and corporate producers (the Production 100, Commercials 30 and Corporate 50) to reveal the companies they work with most and, crucially, rate most highly.

Clearly, the poll favours the larger, very good facilities houses that can pick up more votes as more producers pass through them. So it may miss off smaller, boutique outfits that can offer exceptional levels of client service – but for just a few clients.
But the poll is still a handy guide to help identify which post houses have a strong reputation for their work. It’s consistent too. The overall top 10 looks remarkably similar to 2012’s Producer Poll, with Envy once again taking poll position – and just two new entrants, Halo and Clear Cut.

Envy
Once again, Envy takes the top spot in the producer poll. The post house has a broad range of fans, and has a very strong following with TV producers in particular, who rate Envy’s service, buildings, flexibility and pricing.

“They are flexible and helpful as well as being very high quality,” says one documentary indie. Another describes Envy as “top rate and very talented.” Several indies pick out Envy’s “great client management.” Indeed, there are lots of good words about Envy’s producers, with indies describing them variously as “solid”, “brilliant” and “client focused.”

Clearly producers enjoy visiting Envy too, with many noting their “comfortable”, “high end” and “excellent” buildings. “They have a great bar!” says one. And then there is the small matter of price. Despite high-end facilities that make it seem like Envy would charge a fortune, Envy is rated for its relative affordability by indies who cite its “good pricing” and “cost efficiencies.”

The Mill
Just like last year, The Mill takes second place in the Facilities 50 producer poll – buoyed up by votes from commercials and corporate producers. In fact, The Mill is voted the favourite facility by commercials producers – and joint second by corporates.
One commercials producer calls The Mill “a top flight company. (Managing director) Darren O’Kelly is so passionate about the work.” And this seems to extend through the company too. According to various commercials producers, The Mill has “great colourists”, “some of the best operators in the world”, and “very strong reels and nice people.”

Leading corporate producers also sing The Mill’s praises. One cites The Mill’s “quality, professionalism and reliability”. Another says that The Mill “always produces the best work in our opinion,” while one corporate indie describes The Mill as “reliable and creative.” “There’s always top quality work coming from them,” adds one other corporate producer.

MPCAnd in third place is...MPC. It’s the same spot as last year for this top flight facility which has a strong track record in film and commercials.

“They are good people – who are always trying to make it better and better,” says one commercials producer. MPC was voted the second favourite facility by commericials producers, some of which hail it for being “client friendly” and “nice people too.” Another says: “We have a long standing relationship and they always meet our creative and technical challenges.”

MPC is also popular with corporate producers. One major corporate producer says that MPC can “really handle the complex projects.”

The Farm
The Farm climbs one place in the producer poll, fuelled by the many votes it receives from its TV producer clients. “They will do anything they can to accommodate the budget and schedule,” says one factual entertainment indie.

Another rates The Farm for its “good deals, client liaison and nice facilities.” This point is taken up by a producer, who says The Farm’s “facilities are very good and the service is excellent.” One big factual producer cites The Farm simply for “their highly talented, creative staff.” There’s also a perception from indie that The Farm is “high end” but is so busy it “rarely has room for one offs or short series.”

Evolutions
Evolutions climbs up to joint fifth place in the producer poll rankings, supported by plenty of votes from its TV producer and corporate producer clients.

Evolutions takes third place in the TV producers poll, up from joint fifth last year. And here’s why. Evolutions is “a monster that maintains its quality control” says one leading factual and entertainment indie. Others pick out Evolutions for “their responsiveness.”

Evolutions, says one indie, “takes on the big boys by offering good rates, good levels of skill and more flexibility. And it has one of the best colourists in town.”

Meanwhile, corporate producers vote Evolutions as their joint fourth favourite facility – up, once again, from joint fifth place last year. One describes the post house as “very professional”, while another adds that it is “reliable and professional.”
Framestore
Framestore shares joint fifth place with Evolutions, and does so on the back of strong support from commercials producers. The following quote seems to sum up the facility nicely: “They can pull a rabbit out of a hat without having a rabbit or a hat.”

Framestore is described by one commercials producer as “the closest thing we have to Hollywood.” Creatively, they have “very strong reels.” Another cites Framestore’s “top work in all fields and they are a great bunch of people.”

Indeed there seems to be plenty of regard for Framestore staff: “They are consistent and helpful” says one producer, with others adding that they are “nice people” and that they do “good quality work.”

Corporates are fans too. One simply describes Framestore as “the best for visual effects.”

Prime Focus
Prime Focus wins strong support from TV indies and commercials producers, earning the facility seventh place in the producer poll.

“They’ve a wealth of talent, facilities and tremendous hand-holding through a technical world,” says one indie. Another cites its “good all round, competitive deals and excellent dub.” Another says, simply, “we have a good working relationship.”

HaloHalo takes eighth place in the producer poll. The facility is very popular with corporate produces, and wins a lot of votes from TV producers too. “They have a really strong creative team”, says one indie, while another praises their “finishing talent”.

One corporate adds: “The staff are amazing and the facilities superb while their costs are normal!” Another corporate praises their “dubbing and sound”.

Clear CutClear Cut is in joint ninth place in the producer poll, again buoyed by votes from TV indies and corporates.

Clear Cut is well regarded by TV producers for its “talent and cost”, “good deals” and as a “solid pair of hands and reliable”.

A corporate production company adds that Clear Cut has “great service and talent.”

Molinare
Veteran facility Molinare, which celebrates its 40th birthday this year, remains popular with TV indies.

Indies cite its “flexible, consistent and friendly approach.” One drama indie says Molinare has “smart facilities and can house online and offline under one roof.” “They help make smaller budgets work,” says another, while one praises Molinare’s “great front of house support and George Foulgham in dub.”

How it Works
The producer poll is collated from three separate Televisual surveys of the production market, in which we ask hundreds of producers to name the three post houses they use the most and the three they rate the highest. Broadcast producer votes come from our Production 100 survey, published in September. The commercials producer votes are collated from our Commercials 30 survey, published in November, while the corporate producer votes come from our Corporate 50 survey, published in March.